5 lbs. ago, 10 lbs. ago, 20 lbs. ago, etc.? I was thinking that it would be a great time to look back and see how far we've come on our journey even if we aren't at goal or even near goal.

I can:

walk up a hill without huffing and puffing
wear smaller than a 3X
stop eating when I'm full
cinch up an airplane seat belt and have lots of belt leftover
say "no" most of the time
not be so afraid to do things in public
run a race
lift heavy weights
look in a mirror
be okay with people taking my photo
wear a tank top in public

- wear more flattering clothes
- run up the stairs
- walk up to the fifth floor
- ride my bicycle
- go through turnstiles without worrying if I'll fit (though I still check reflexively)
- get up from the floor without it being a production
- eat healthy food at restaurants
- NOT eat the candy from the secretary's basket - o - goodness.
- plan my days to eat healthy and exercise
- sit comfortably at the ballpark!
- lift weights at the gym
- not feel embarrassed because of my weight

__________________

My 5 C's of healthy living: Commitment to conscious control, with the understanding that choices have consequences

Last night I reflexively didn't go to the bathroom at the movie theatre, ( its up three flights of "gone with the wind" stairs) then I remembered...I can do that no problem! I fired up those stairs and wasn't winded in the least AND I beat DH!

On Thursday while doing Pilates I pulled myself all the way off the floor to a sitting position using only my stomach muscles for the first time. My stomach is my biggest problem area and the muscle group I hate working out the most, so that was a pretty big deal for me.

I can also ignore the pie in the break room and wear a 1X again.

Most importantly, though, I can talk about my weight struggle openly for the first time without feeling shame. Finding this community has been a big part of that, so thanks, everyone, even those of you I haven't spoken with yet : )

-i can sit in a lawn chair now.. i wouldn't sit in one before cause i was afraid it would break
-I can actually jog a lil ways..
-I have energy to go and play with the kids
-I actually have scrubs that are too big for me.. ive went from a 5x scrub set, and i can wear a 3x now... comfortably..
-I can actually turn down food now.. and not obsess about it for hours afterwards.

__________________HW-333/SW-285/CW-262/GW-185Labor Day Goal 250The whole Journey since MARCH 2005
August 1 weight 262

I think the one thing said that really sticks with me is being able to talk about my weight and not feel shame. Now that I am actively involved in doing something about it, I can actually OWN the fact that I am fat. Before, when I was trying to "ignore" that fact, I would never try to call attention to my weight. I guess I was hoping that if I never mentioned it, people would not realize how overweight I was. Yes, this is what is commonly referred to as Denial!

I still look horrible in my workout clothes, but the fact that I am at the gym WORKING OUT makes me feel proactive- and I don't care what the person behind me might be thinking about my rear end!!!

Just the change in mindset and attitude makes me feel better about myself than I have felt in years.

~Fit into my bathtub without flooding my basement
~Lift myself out of my bathtub in under 3 minutes
~Fit most back seatbelts in most cars (importantly my mom's)
~Towel myself off from a shower without breaking a sweat
~Sit up in bed to pull the covers over me in bed without getting out of breath
~Walk more than 30 feet without getting out of breath
~Wear a bathing suit in front of strangers
~Be around large groups of people
~Fit into a theater seat without my sides getting pinched & squeezed
~Go to an amusement park out of fear that I wouldn't fit
~Wear a size 14
~Pick something up off the floor (I'd just kick it out of sight)
~Wash dishes without my back aching
~Sit down in small chairs for fear they would break
~Walk on a treadmill for longer than 4 minutes
~Catch 3 year olds in "duck duck goose"
~Wear a size 9 shoe
~Walk around a mall without my feet killing me
~Eat a salad at a restaurant
~See my collar bones (do I mention this too much )
~Pass up a 3 for $1 sale on candy bars

Okay I could go on and on, but I'm sleepy. There's something odd I noticed awhile ago and I can't quite remember it. Now I'm annoyed with myself.

This is fun, and such a motivating reminder for me. I have such a long way to go, and forget sometimes that I have made any progress.

I can sleep without being strapped to a machine (I HAD sleep apnea, but now it's gone)

I can lay and even sleep on my back, and still be able to BREATHE

I can sleep for more than 2 hours (ok, so it's only 3 or 4), without having to get up either to go potty or to turn over because the side I'm laying on is numb and painful from all the weight on top of it.

I can wash a (small) pile of dishes without having to sit down on a kitchen chair.

I can wash my hair in the shower AND condition it (I used to use a conditionig shampoo to shorten shampoo time) without pain.

I can take a shower STANDING.

I can ride a bicycle (not for very long, but I get on it, and it goes!).

I am willing to seen riding a bicycle (ok, this is weird, because I've always been able to put on a bathing suit and go swimming, but once in the water, I felt invisible - ok I know water is transparent, but it was a mental thing - but somehow a bicycle was different. There is no "hiding" during the whole trip.

Dressing in the pool locker room is no longer more work than the water workout.

The pain of my fibromyalgia is much better - when I remember that what I eat is as important as how much (too many days of red meat or salt seem to cause a flare, I've found).

I can stay in calorie limits, both staying away from above and below (I know this is weird, but I would either be way too high on calories or way too low)

I can not get acid reflux at night.

I can enjoy playing with my kids.

I can enjoy a walk to the park.

I can keep up with my son while he is on his bike and I am walking (almost).

I can fit comfortablely in my clothes (at one point, I decided to not buy anymore clothes, so everything was really tight on me, now it isn't)

I could keep going on for a long time, but I think that is good for now. This was a great thread to start and I love it. Have a wonderful couple of days, I am off to take my kids on a mini trip and pick up my hubby from the airport that is about 4 hours away. So me and the kids are going on an overnighter, just for fun.

This is a great thread! I'll just list one thing: This weekend, my husband and I took our 6 year-old nephew to a baseball game and out to eat. The restaurant had one of those photo booths where you can get a strip of four photos for $2. Anyway, I wanted all three of us to get our picture together but was convinced we couldn't all fit in the small booth. Guess what - we fit! And the pictures came out great. Couldn't have done THAT 50 pounds ago!

Well... I havn't lost any weight yet, so, I'll post what I hope that I'll be able to do in the future.

I hope that I can lay outside in the yard and get a tan without feeling self conscious. I hope that I can not feel intimidated by the skinny girls that I meet. I hope that the buckle on my seatbelt doesn't dig into my thigh anymore. I hope that I can run and jump around comfortably.